Juniors Journal: Rangers need no learning curve

In any sports league, an expansion franchise has low
expectations. In fact, the only real expectation is that it will
lose more games than it wins. A case in point, the National Hockey
League’s Washington Capitals joined the NHL in 1974-1975 and
put together a record of 8-67-5.

Garrett Chardon has captained the Junior
Rangers to a magnificent start in their inaugural season. (Photo:
AJHL)

Then you have the Atlantic Junior Hockey League’s Boston
Jr. Rangers. The first-year club isn’t just winning.
They’re in first place with merely one regulation loss in
seventeen games. The club’s overall AJHL record is a stellar
9-1-6-1.

“I knew we would have a good team,” coach Mario
Martiniello said. “I am not surprised we are in first place
because of how hard our team works.”

The Jr. Rangers franchise has a history with the AJHL. The
Boston Bulldogs were a member of the circuit beginning in 1995 and
called the Icenter in Salem, New Hampshire home. After the
2011-2012 season, the franchise was sold and relocated to the
Breakaway Ice Center in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. Martiniello, the
new head coach and GM, welcomed over 60 players to tryouts and
began the process of forming a new team. It certainly has helped
that players such as Logan Brown (Orleans, Mass), Garrett Chardon
and Taylor Fletcher (Leominster, Mass.) remained on the roster
after spending last season with the Bulldogs. Their AJHL experience
has contributed to the early season success of the Jr. Rangers.

“We have some talented players like our three captains
that lead the way for us: Garrett Chardon, Matt Swett and Logan
Brown,” said Martiniello. “Logan just committed to
Potsdam. Both Matt and Garrett are drawing a lot of interest from
various colleges at the moment but have not made a decision
yet.”

Newcomer and goaltender Samuel Bernard has adjusted quickly to
the league. The Colorado native has posted the best save percentage
(.965) in the AJHL. He also has a goals against average of 1.14. He
is garnering the close attention of scouts every time he steps on
the ice.

Up front, forwards Matthew Swett (Groveland, Mass), who has 14
points in 16 games; Kevin Airoldi (Kennebunk, ME), 13 points in 17
games; and Michigan native Alan Boozer, 11 points in 17 games are
the top point producers.

The Jr. Rangers blueliners are big and mobile. They are led by
6-foot, 205 pound defenseman Shawn Zingler. The native of Palm
City, Florida has six points and 18 penalty minutes in 13 games
played.

Behind the bench, Martiniello brings a vast amount of
experience, both as a player and coach. He has molded this group
into the number one team in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League and
will settle for nothing less than a championship. If he can reach
that goal, it may be the first of many titles the new team in town
seems poised to capture.

“Because we have so many different guys stepping up each
night, I do expect our early success to continue,”
Martiniello said. “The one thing we will have to do though is
come to play every night. There are a lot of good teams in our
league and, being in first place at the moment, you can bet they
will all be ready to play us.”

Game of the Week

This week’s tilt between the third ranked Islanders Hockey
Club and No. 4 Springfield, scheduled for Sunday afternoon (3:20
p.m.) at Skate 3 Arena (“The Lighthouse”) in Tyngsboro,
Massachusetts; should be a barnburner.

The Islanders have won their last four games and reside in third
place in the Eastern Junior Hockey League’s North Division.
They are three points behind the Boston Jr. Bruins.

Offensively, the Islanders are paced by Michael Doherty
(Reading, Mass.) who has registered points in 12 of his 14 games
played. He is currently third in EJHL scoring with 11 goals and 16
assists totaling 27 points. He will lead the league’s second
ranked power play which has converted on 23.9 percent of its
opportunities.

Springfield is 3-1-0 in its last four matches and sits in third
place in the circuit’s South Division. They trail the Bay
State Breakers by one point.

The Pics are being led by Austin Orszulak (Springfield, Mass.)
who has 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points in 18 games played.
He is fifth in league scoring. Like Doherty, he is the centerpiece
of his club’s power play, which is fourth best in the EJHL
with a conversion rate of 17.1 percent.

The two teams have met once this season with the Islanders
emerging with a 3-1 victory.